Here are two ways to present the same information. Which is more attention-grabbing?

     Editors are busy people, and they expect writers to respect their time. If you call or visit when the deadline is near you’re not going to get the editor’s full attention.

Or:

     "When a writer calls me at the deadline, they’re not being considerate of me," said John Martin, editor of the Topeka Times-News. "I don't have time to talk then."

The second, of course, is more interesting, because it’s a quotation. (Although the term quotations, or quotes, generally applies to non-fiction and dialogue to fiction, I’m using the terms interchangeably.)

Not only do quotes add interest, but they also break up long blocks of text. Few people want to read line after line of exposition without a break. We need to add dialogue or quotes to keep our readers interested.

Here are tips to properly use quotations or dialogue.

1. Quotes must be compelling. Don't quote facts. Instead, quote feelings, opinions, emotions, and unusual or unexpected information. Don’t have a character say “I’ve worked here 15 years.” That’s not compelling. It’s just a fact. But if the character says, “The 15 years I’ve worked here have been the most satisfying of my professional life,” then that’s a compelling quote.

2. When using quotes or dialogue, you’re free to disregard some writing rules. For example, you know that we should write in complete sentences, but people don't always speak in complete sentences. Your source or character might say, "After the way this business treated me today I am never coming back again. Never ever."

So you would write this:

     "After the way this business treated me today I am never coming back again," customer Jane Wilson said. "Never ever."

3. A good technique is to paraphrase what your source or character is about to say, then quote them saying it. For example, you might write:

     Johnson said he knew he'd be in mortal danger if he didn't get home soon.

     “It was getting so cold I knew I had to get out of the woods right away,” he said. “Because otherwise, I was going to die."

4. For fiction writers, use dialogue to show who your character is. If your character says, "It was gettin' so cold I, uh, knew I had to git out of the woods right away, becuz otherwise, ummmm, I was goin' to die" you’re portraying him as belonging to a certain social class. You’re showing¸ not telling, and that’s a positive.

The opposite applies to non-fiction writers. Unless there’s a compelling reason to quote sources speaking English poorly, clean up quotes. Don’t use the quote in the previous paragraph verbatim. Kill the verbal pauses, ignore the dropping of the "Gs," and correct the mispronunciation of "because" and “get.”

If you interviewed sources for your story or book, you should have some good quotations. Use them. If you’re writing fiction, be sure to have your characters use plenty of dialogue. Quotations and dialogue make any story more interesting.